Posted by Frank Klose and Bill Leifholtz
Some bad news for the Flyers today as defenseman Andrej Meszároš has injured his achillies tendon at home in Slovakia and figures to miss most of the season, if not all of it. Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports he underwent surgery today.
The Flyers issued a statement on their website:
"Andrej had successful surgery this morning to repair a torn right achilles tendon. The surgery was performed by Dr. Steve Raikin at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia. Andrej was injured last week during summer training in Slovakia. Andrej will be out indefinitely."
As we have seen with the Phillies' Ryan Howard and the Eagles' Jason Peters, these injuries have long-lasting effects. The timeline for Howard's recovery is still up in the air. After rupturing his achillies in October, Ryan Howard returned to the Phillies in July, a span of nine months. But, it's one thing for Howard to lumber around the bases and Meszároš to skate.
A winner of the 2011 Barry Ashbee award, the Flyers will sure miss Meszároš. This is a huge loss for the Flyers. He averaged around twenty minutes a game the past two years. His absence will make room for younger defensemen such as Gustaffson, Manning, and Bourdon to get more minutes on the ice.
His injury woes continue from last season when he missed the last 6 weeks of the regular season and most of the playoffs with a disc fracture in his lower back.
GM Paul Holmgren might have to look elsewhere to help bolster this weaker Philadelphia Flyers defense. Carlo Claiacovo is still an unrestricted free agent. He averaged around 19 minutes for the St. Louis Blues last season. P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens could also be an option. He is a restricted free agent just like Shea Weber was, but the Montreal Canadiens have had trouble signing him to a deal this summer.
Whether it be through a trade, free agency, or an offer sheet, Paul Holmgren must be feeling even more heat to make a move now.
